


Chapter One

by BadgersQueen



Series: The Strip Club Job [1]
Category: Leverage
Genre: F/M, Flirting, Humor, Mild Language, Romance, Sexual Content, Strippers & Strip Clubs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-13
Updated: 2015-01-13
Packaged: 2018-03-07 11:36:06
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,308
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3172752
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BadgersQueen/pseuds/BadgersQueen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Interpol is at a stalemate with a case, Meredith devises a plan to help boyfriend, James Sterling, by going under cover in order to get information.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

  * For [LillianOrchid](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LillianOrchid/gifts).



> Warning: Explicit Content just in case & OC x Canon relationship. Chapters may or may not be short at times, depending on how much plot/stuff I feel like putting in them. So I apologize. 
> 
> Meredith is my OC & belongs to me.
> 
> All Leverage characters and related elements aren't mine and do not belong to me.

It was about 2:47am when Meredith went to the bathroom and after finishing her business, realized the lights in the kitchen were on. Quirking an eyebrow and rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she went in search to see why the lights were on so early in the morning. Going downstairs, she thought for a second Olivia had gone on another cookie-dough binge due to essay jitters but low and behold found Jim at the table mulling over several folders and notes. The table had drowned in a sea of manila folders and white paper. There were even darker lined papers stapled together sitting on the upper right hand corner of the table. In the upper left hand corner a disarray of photos and street camera shots. The redhead stood there, wearing one of his t-shirts and her arms folded a little. 

"Jim, sweetie, it's late. You should be asleep", Meredith replied.

Sterling glanced up, hair a mess and looked deprived of sleep. He gave her a wain smile and shook his head, "This bloody case has been driving me up the wall for the past several months", he told her, "Still back to square one". He sighed and eased himself away from the table, going to her, "You look knackered darling. Go to bed", he added softly.

"Not without you", Meredith smiled, pulling him into a gentle kiss. 

Sterling smiled against her mouth, closing his eyes and loving the feeling of her affection, "I'll be up in a moment", he promised, running his hands over her arms. 

Meredith kissed him and grazed his jaw, "Don't be long", she chuckled softly and pulled away to go back upstairs.

Sterling watched her go back upstairs and then turned back to the kitchen table. He sighed and tidied up his work before shutting off the light and going upstairs. Meredith had barely been back in bed ten minutes as he joined her. She rolled over and he pulled her into his arms. Kissing her. Meredith sleepily touched his face and curled up against his chest. He listened to her doze off and smiled. Protectively holding her and trying to go back to sleep himself. This was the third night she'd caught him up at this hour. He sighed and tried to sleep but only slept for a couple of hours. 

 

\- - 

 

When Sterling awoke, he found Meredith gone and looked at the clock, it was a quarter past seven. He rolled over to find a hot cup of coffee and a bagel already made and toasted sitting on a plate for him. He smirked happily and saw there was a note with it. He picked it up and smiled even more at his girlfriend's handwriting. 

'Morning sweetie. Gone to take Olivia to school and working the morning shift. Will see you later. Love you. Kisses - Meredith'.

Sterling ate his breakfast and nursed his coffee as he showered and got ready for work. His mind on Meredith as he got ready. They had been dating for months now, four to be exact. And she was amazing. Her and Olivia were almost as glued to the hip as they were. She drove Olivia to and from school, carpooling her and her friends three times a week and mall trips on the weekends. Cooking breakfast and dinner. Putting lunches and snacks together for Olivia. Helping with homework, etc. Sterling could list all the ways of how amazing she was. He had forgotten how nice it felt to have that in the house again. To see Olivia happy as well. Sterling packed up his work and went straight to the office to get a few things done. He kept an eye on his phone should Meredith call him but heard nothing from her all morning, which didn't surprise him. She worked as a counter girl at the Starbucks on the corner a few blocks away. He worked through til lunch and then packed up to go home to get some rest. He set up everything again on the kitchen table and then went and passed out on the sofa. When he woke up a couple of hours later, he sat up and saw Meredith sitting at the kitchen table. According to his watch, it was a little past two in the afternoon. He went over and saw that she was pouring over his notes and glanced up when she heard his footsteps.

"Sorry", Meredith smiled, "I thought I'd help you carry some of the baggage".

Sterling seated himself next to her and looked at her, "You know that's not necessary". 

Meredith raised her eyebrows, "Tell me about this. Please? You've been up three times this week and twice last week", she put her hand on his leg and squeezed his leg gently, "I worry about you", she gave him a soft smile.

Sterling sighed, knowing she would persist. He knew she only wanted to help, "Six months ago, we got wind that there was insurance fraud coming from a Strip Club and the owner, Carlo Rauel, is also a drug dealer and laundry's money in and out of there. But we can't touch him without proof. Our source was shot in the head before they could give us any evidence", he explained.

"Your source was snitching on a drug dealer?" Meredith asked. 

"He was a pimp who witnessed some of the girls being abused physically. One of them was sent to the hospital", Sterling told her.

Meredith shivered, "So he pays off anyone who tries to talk. He has people killed if they try to talk. And my money is on that he probably has two or three drug businesses right here in the city so all the money he is laundrying can't be traced".

Sterling chuckled, "You're very clever darling. If only you could be of any help", he leaned over to kiss her cheek.

The redhead turned to him, "Well, maybe I can", she suggested. 

He stared at her, eyebrows raised, "Absolutely out of the question", he said a little sternly.

"But-", Meredith went to argue.

"No but's. You are not helping. I see that look in your eyes and I know what you're about to say and the answer is, no", Sterling shook his head. He stood from his chair and pressed a soft, passionate kiss to her cheek and cleaned up the table.

Meredith watched him clean up his work before she left to pick up Olivia from school. 

\- - 

When the two girls got home, Olivia sat down and pulled out her homework and Meredith got her a snack to eat. 

"Hi dad", Olivia replied as she put in her headphones, waving to her father as he walked into the kitchen.

Sterling smiled and waved at her before going to stand with Meredith at the counter. She was putting together a plate of apples and crackers and peanut butter for Olivia to eat. He tried to catch her eye but she wouldn't look at him and brought the snack over for the teenage girl to eat. Sterling noticed the redhead looked a bit ruffled from earlier. He caught her before she could leave the kitchen and led her into the living room. Meredith looked at him.

"It's not that I don't want your help, it's just I want you to be safe. This is dangerous", Sterling told her, "What I do is dangerous".

"And that's why I want to help you", Meredith told him quietly, "You don't sleep at night and you look stressed out and I know what I'm doing. I've worked with Nathan before-"

"When?" Sterling looked shocked.

"A couple of times. It was nothing", Meredith added quickly and shrugging it off, "Please. Please, let me help you out this one time", she leaned against him. 

Sterling's shoulders sagged a little. He couldn't shut her out. Not when she was equally as smart as he was. She'd figure out how to help him behind his back. He was bound to protect her one way or another but she wanted to protect him just as much. But he was afraid of what her idea was exactly, how she wanted to help. Meredith watched him with an anxious expression and finally he nodded and took her hands in his, holding them gently as he ran his thumb over her knuckles. 

"You can help me but my rules, alright?" Sterling stated after a second or so.

"Of course", Meredith nodded, smiling at him, she leaned against him and pressed a kiss to his jaw. 

Sterling smiled and held her close. He asked her to promise him she wouldn't start helping him til tomorrow. Meredith promised, knowing he didn't want her up at the late hour he'd been the night prior with thinking about the case. That night, they and Olivia ate dinner and watched a movie. Olivia contently sitting in the middle of them and loving the feeling of having both her dad and Meredith on either side of her. She kept glancing behind her and saw her dad's arm around the redhead and noticed the two kept giving each other the lovey-dovey eyes at each other. Making the teen giggle to herself. After Olivia had gone to bed, Meredith washed up the rest of the dishes and made Sterling a small drink and he stood at the counter watching her finish her task.

"So what was your idea?" He wanted to know.

"I thought you said-" Meredith started to say.

"I know but now I'm curious", Sterling told her.

Drying off her hands, Meredith went over and stood opposite him, "I was thinking of pretending to be a stripper for the club. I figure I do good enough, I can become their best. I was thinking of asking Nathan if he wanted to help since-"

Sterling nearly dropped the glass he was holding as she spoke, "Darling, I'm the only one allowed to see you wearing absolutely nothing and I will not have Nathan Ford apart of this-"

Meredith cut him off, "I'm not finished. I need Nathan to be like my bodyguard or something. He's good at smooth talking. Besides, I was thinking you can come in as a customer and we can exchange information-"

Sterling nearly choked on his whiskey, "Meredith, I do not think I can allow you to be gawked at while walking around in a bra and panties and I will definitely not allow Nathan to see you and parts of you that I've seen a thousand times".

Meredith walked over and cupped his face and smiled, "Nathan's seen me in a cocktail dress and the second time I cold-cocked a guy upside the head with my shoe and helped Parker disable a bomb using chewing gum and a remote control with only two wires". 

"That is unbelievably arousing and as much as I love the image of you sexily saving the day, I am still rather unsure of your idea", Sterling told her, though his trousers were getting a bit tight now as he thought of her wearing a very revealing dress and having to use her brains to disarm a bomb. He realized he was getting hard for her and sighed. He wasn't good at losing arguments but he figured he would sooner or later give in. "Alright darling, you win", he decided.

Meredith leaned against him and kissed his cheek, "Think of it this way, I can give you a lap dance. And you get to catch a bad guy", she smiled, running her hand down his chest, "You win both ways", she kissed his cheek and left him to finish his drink. She saw the way his trousers had gotten tight. Knew his body language when he wanted her. 

Sterling smirked, loving the idea. She made him come undone rather quickly but he didn't mind. The only woman and person he'd allow to break him. He finished his drink and joined her upstairs a moment later. He took her to bed and made her come undone just as quickly as she'd made him. Sterling pressed his face to her chest, sighing happily as he panted several moments later. He'd come nice and hard. Meredith ran her fingers through his hair and smiled. 

"You're amazing", Sterling breathed, propping himself up and kneeling over her. 

Meredith smiled and ran her hands over the hair on his chest, "I think you are", she laughed softly.

Sterling kissed her and ran his tongue down her neck. Meredith moved into him and he pulled her close, laying with her a second later. He pulled the covers up and made sure she was nice and warm. 

\- - 

The following morning Meredith did her usual duties of making sure her boyfriend had a cup of coffee and Olivia was off to school. She got back into bed with Sterling when she came back. Sterling noticed she was back in bed with him and he had a nice hot cup of coffee. He smirked and gladly stayed in bed. Not even considering going into work today. The two showered together, enjoying a lazy morning of sex before actually using the shower properly and dressed. Meredith fished for her cellphone in her purse while Sterling made them breakfast. She found Nate's phone number but got his voicemail. 

"Nate, it's Meredith. Was wondering if you and the team needed a job", Meredith spoke into the phone, "I'm coming by later to see you so call me when it's convenient for me to come by", she paused here, "Oh and tell Eliot I'm bringing Sterling so he doesn't freak out that it's a surprise", here she laughed, "See you later". She hung up and tossed the mobile back into her purse.

She and Sterling sat together and shared a plate of eggs, bacon and toast. Enjoying the morning paper and each other's company.


End file.
